


In Fate's Hands

by akajanedoe



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Abduction, Evil Zeus, Evil!Zeus, F/F, F/M, Family, God - Freeform, Goddess, Godlike, Harry Potter Crossover - Freeform, Independent, Love, M/M, Major god, Parents, Power hungry, Powerful, Romance, bad Zeus, god!harry, godlike Harry, power
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-27
Updated: 2015-01-27
Packaged: 2018-03-09 06:48:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3240239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akajanedoe/pseuds/akajanedoe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Herodotus, the first child of Hades and Persephone was kidnapped shortly after his birth, a guilt-ridden goddess delivered him to the hands of her father and the still-born son of Lily and James Potter miraculously sprung back to life after having been declared brain-dead. And nothing was ever the same. God!Harry</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As always, reviews are appreciated because I like it when you guys scream at me. Just remember that if you just flame me without constructive criticism I will make you seem so stupid that you may just devolve into a neanderthal. I'm only half kidding.
> 
> Timeline:
> 
> PJO series has already happened, this is a year later; Percy is 18. Heroes of Olympus series never happens.

**Prologue**

* * *

The warm, muggy evening of Bora Bora hugged the young goddess as she walked the gravel path between the small huts and peered in the windows of each sleepy dwelling. So far, she had yet to find what she had come for; the god of the Underworld was reknowned for his powers of concealment.

One thing was for certain- Hades was no amateur. Artemis had been trying to track the Underworld's monarchs all week and it was only this evening that she had finally caught the trail. It was faint and more broad than the goddess of the hunt would have preferred, but existent nonetheless.

When Zeus had thrust the task of delivering the young child of Persephone and Hades upon Artemis, the maiden had been sceptical. Why was abduction necessary? Why this particular child? Unfortunately, Zeus was adamant for his capture, claiming the child was a monster.

Despite the statement, Artemis had trouble believing that a child could be a danger to anyone- especially at such a young age. It was only when Zeus threatened to cast her mother, Leto into Tartarus that the hunter agreed.

So there she stood, peering through the open window that sat beside the small infant.

Hades, being the arrogant god he was, had underestimated the abilities of his fellow immortals and left his newest child unsupervised.

The child-god was extremely beautiful- even by immortal standards.

Large, delicate gold eyes stared at her intelligently, framed by wildly jet-black hair that fell in soft whisps around his face. His nose was small and angular, even with the added baby softness to his features. The young god simply stared up at her pensively with unsettling aptitude.

Godly children were quite different compared to mortals'. For one thing, immortal children were vastly intelligent and perceptive. It was no surprise to Artemis that Herodotus the young god could sense her godly presence and knew who she must be.

Herodotus did not cry, he simply stared up at her with curiousity, not uttering a sound other than the occasional confused babble.

Artemis smiled softly at him and waved her hand, forming images of silver deer with a flick of wrist. The colours and shapes fascinated the godling and his unnerving gaze deviated from her in favour of the newest wonder.

The goddess frowned to herself at what she had to do next. An innocent child like him was undeserving of whatever plans Zeus had concocted for him, but her mother's well-being was on the line.

Sighing, the goddess of the moon carefully picked up the young god, the illusionary deer moving with Herodotus. The young child's gaze flickered to the goddess in surprise and he let out a small gasp at her actions before his attention was recaptured by the deer. Artemis shifted him in one arm adoringly before flicking her wrist again to add a few other forest animals to the illusion to keep him captivated while she took him so she could remain unnoticed.

With a long look at the house she stood in front of, the goddess swept into the night and trasported herself to Olympus to deliver the young god to her father, a single tear trailing down her cheek. If only she had another option.

Zeus sat on his throne with a hand under his chin and rest on the arm of his throne. The fates had warned him that Herodotus would eventually overthrow his reign. He could not take any chances.

He'd sent Artemis to retrieve the child while he concocted a plan. Zeus needed to send the child somewhere where no one would expect him to be, where no one would know of Zeus' involvement and where there was no way for the young godling could survive (godly children weren't fully immortal until maturity).

Magical Britain it was, then.

 


	2. Hear You Me

_10 years later- Little Whinging, Surrey_

* * *

 

To most, Harry Potter would be considered a highly unusual child. Even the magical world that he remained ignorant of would be baffled at his power.

Lily Potter birthed a son prematurely and he was later that night pronounced dead. Miraculously (or perhaps not so, depending on your level of information), Harry Potter emerged from being medically brain-dead within minutes- entirely healthy and happy. The Medi-wizards were flabbergasted; whatever had occurred had not been of their own voilition. The boy had simply chosen not to die.

In reality, Zeus had exchanged the dead infant with the young child-god named Herodotus, under heavy appearance enchantments.

Harry Potter was happy with his new parents and wanted for nothing until suddenly his happiness and fortunate ran out. James and Lily Potter were murdered in cold blood on October 31st when Harry was a year old, and that was when the young child's luck ran out.

He was brought to his aunt's home- his bitter aunt's home. And the young magical was handed a life of hardship and cruelty, just as Zeus had intended.

Petunia resented the young wizard for his magical powers alone- ignorant of how he was far different by those she referred to as 'his kind', only when out of Harry's earshot of course. Petunia refused to acknowledge magic's existence and hoped that she need never associate with wizard-kind again, as unlikely as that seemed judging from Harry's already apparent aptitude for magic.

Unlike the other magical children, Harry was capable of entirely capable of giving life to deceased beings. When he was four, he came across a garden snake with an injured body in the rose garden. He had hidden the serpent in a shoebox and tried to nurse it back to health. The snake died days later, and Harry had grieved. Within a few minutes of Harry's heart-wrenching sobs reaching the air, the snake twitched back into the land of the living, still sporting the injury but it no longer endangered its life.

The snake brought on another part of his abilities- interaction with serpents. The wizards called people who could only speak with snakes 'parselmouths', but Harry was no parselmouth: he could not only speak to and understand any variation of serpent, but also feel their emotions.

It was these capabilities that Harry learned to keep to himself after Petunia beat him over the head with a broom when he showed her how he lifted things with his mind. As unexplainable as they might be, questioning his aunt over them was fruitless and only earned him a hit over the head.

It was a cool March evening when Harry was weeding the flower bed. A little girl who looked about only 2 years younger than him strolled up to him in the garden, with her head cocked to the side in thought.

She wore a simple brown dress and modest ballet flats. Her hair was a warm, rich brown that fell to her shoulders in soft wisps and warm burgundy eyes that seemed to comfort the soul.

When she reached him she simply sat cross legged in the grass beside him. Harry briefly looked over at her to smile in surprise before he turned his attention back to a weed that was lodged between two primerose bushes that stubbornly refused to loosen its roots. As he worked he spoke to her kindly, "May I help you?"

"It takes a gentle touch." the girl advised with a voice much older than her body. She ignored his question in favour of helping him with his recent problem.

Harry's eyebrow raised and he softly smiled, "How so?"

The girl looked him carefully in the eyes before she turned to the bushes and gently inserted her hand between the two branches that caught on the weed. She gently worked it out between the bushes until its roots gave way.

"It takes a little patience, much like anything in life." At this, she stood. She held her arms behind her back comfortably before she made her way out of the garden and down the path to the fence.

"You would do well to remember that." She advised to Harry as she swept from the property and vanished behind the corner. Harry followed after her curiously and turned the same corner, hoping to see her. All that remained of hervisit was the faint scent of a firewood. This was one of the many times Harry met someone who didn't quite fit the norm and this girl was certainly not the last.

The young girl in the modest brown dress flashed into the forest outskirting Mount Vernon and conjured a hearth, sitting beside it and tending to it while she sat and waited.

Not long after her arrival, a twelve year old girl in silver hunting gear quietly crept through the boughs of nearby cedars, spotting the hearth's smoke from a distance away. The girl climbed down from her tree and firmly landed on her feet to the left of the other female. The taller female sat beside the smaller and stare into the warm, inviting flames not unlike the other girl's eyes.

"Hestia, how fairs he?" the girl clothed in silver asked softly, as if the woods would attack at the sound of a raised voice.

The other girl took a moment to poke at the flames before she turned to her newest companion, "He slaves away for the mortals he has been left with. For now, he will be safe from outside dangers."

"But not from those inside the house he lives in," The tallest female muttered, bitterly.

Hestia only nodded.

They simply sat and stared into the flames for a few moments in comfortable silence before Hestia spoke her mind, "Artemis, why not visit him yourself? The amount of times you have asked me to watch over him, and yet you have not met him personally since you left him in the hands of Zeus."

Artemis shot Hestia a pointed glare before she lowerd her gaze to look at the ground ashamedly.

"I have done enough damage without interrupting his life further. Besides, what if Zeus were to discover my presence? Or worse, Hades to discover I knew of him all this time?" the goddess of the moon inwardly shivered, ever since Herodotus' kidnapping Hades had be unconsolable, choosing to channel his grief with wrath- the Underworld was constantly stirring up new horrors to threaten the King of the skies. It had gotten to the point where Persephone had gone into hiding.

Persephone loved her husband, that much was apparent. So when Hades managed to release her curse that tied her to the Underworld she visited him regardless of necessity. However, when their son was taken Persephone went into hiding after Hades lashed out at her in grief.

So instead of wrathful and supported, Hades was all alone to stew in his grief.

If the god of death were to discover Artemis' involvement in his son's disappearance, things would not be good for her.

Hestia turned a stern look to Artemis, "While I strongly hate my brother for taking away Hades' newborn son, I doubt he will discover him for quite some time."

Artemis rolled her eyes, "Yes, but how can you know for sure? Assuming anything could very well result in my mother's demise."

Hestia ignored her rude tone and spoke calmly, "I have consulted with the fates. When they told Zeus of where he must take Herodotus they did not do so for Zeus' benefit, it was only to move along the prophecy. They have informed me that Herodotus will survive against all odds and will rejoin us in time.

Of course, the fates did so in a turnabout way that often gives me headaches, but that was essentially what they meant. You mustn't worry, my power-hungry brother will not succeed and will get what's coming to him in time."

Artemis nodded and the two moved on to lighter subjects.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hear You Me by Jimmy Eat World


	3. Starry Eyed

As time wore on, Artemis became more and more restless towards her indecision in visiting Herodotus. The grief at her actions ate away at her and she wasn't sure how she would be able to face him, whether he was aware of her treachery or not.

For the most part Zeus, the selfish bastard, seemed totally comfortable with his actions and this only fed Artemis' conclusion that he simply did not possess a conscience.

Unbeknownst to Artemis, his twin Apollo had begun watching her, worried about what was obviously bothering her. Buried in her guilt, the moon goddess had yet to take notice of him and this only concreted her brother's worry: to be naively unaware of her surroundings was very out of character for the goddess.

For the most part, the sun god watched her from afar- that was until he had had enough of watching her destroy herself from the shadows. He approached her one evening whil she wallowed by a roaring hearth away from her huntresses.

"Hey little sis!" Apollo popped out of the bushes with a goofy smile spread across his face. Artemis simply stared straight into the flames and ignored his interruption. Apollo plopped down on a rock beside her and waved his hands crazily in front of her face, trying to get her attention in a way that was more his style. Eventually she sighed and looked over at him with a glare on her face, "Must you be so childish?"

Apollo dropped his arms to his side and mimmicked her glare, "Must you be so boring?" His glare morphed into a grin. Artemis sighed and swept her braid off of her shoulder before the fire regained her attention.

Apollo sighed, and dropped his easy-going demeanor to get to the point of his visit. "What's bothering you?"

Artemis shook her head and rolled her eyes, "Currently? You."

It was her brother's turn to roll his eyes, "This we already knew. What I meant was, what's bothering you enough to collapse inward on yourself? You look like your being eaten from the inside out. Care to enlighten me?"

Artemis kicked a rock in front of her in anger. "It is none of your business. Stopping poking your big nose where it doesn't belong."

Apollo was a proud god, but not a short-tempered one. Of his relatives he was the more level-headed of the bunch, despite his often childish attitude and mannerisms. However, there are two things that could piss him off without fail: those who defied fate and sometimes his sister.

He dropped his downright jolly attitude and scowled at her- not in the mood for games. "Don't lie. I'm not stupid- there's clearly something that is weighing on you and I'm concerned." He spoke forcefully, becoming exasperated. Sometimes Artemis' reluctance to discuss her feelings was incredibly tiresome.

When she shook her head with a glare and returned her attention to the fire he sighed and relented. The sun god was well aware that once Artemis made her mind up there was no turning back. He decided maybe the direct approach wasn't going to hack it.

"Well, I have things to do. We will talk about this later." he rolled his eyes and rose to his feet, fingering his bright orange iPod in his pocket as he appraised her in question.

If Artemis noticed his change in attitude she didn't say anything, her eyes never leaving the hearth as he spoke.

Apollo sighed and disappeared in a flash of bright light, like a miniature star.

Assuming that her brother had given up, Artemis let out a sigh. She looked to the flames with a terrified look in her eyes before speaking aloud, "What do I do Hest? There's no right answer here to what I did." She whimpered behind barely-kept-at-bay tears in her eyes, speaking as if Hestia was really there with her.

Unbeknownst to her, Apollo was hiding in a neaby bush, having flashed behind it to fool his sister into believing he had given up and left. From what little she had said, he knew she was keeping aomething from him- something big- and it would eventually kill her to keep carrying her secret. He wasn't going to let this go- he was set on finding out what she was hiding.

Despite Apollo's worry, he couldn't seem to pinpoint exactly what secret his twin was attempting (-and so far succeeding) to keep, no matter how hard he looked.

It'd been six months since his campfire conversation with Artemis, and he was no closer to discovering what she was hiding. If it weren't for Hestia he may never have known.

It was dusk, and Apollo lounged in a nearby tree while his sister and her hunters set up camp. So far he had been able to remain unseen by his siter and wanted to keep it that way. The sun god had come to the conclusion that he wouldn't discover what was bugging her by watching, so instead he ditched that notion and began watching over her to make sure she was at least safe from whatever needled her mind. So far, other than the odd nightmare, she seemed relatively at ease. So her secret wasn't a threat to her. Interesting.

It was then that Apollo felt a small, delicate hand cover his mouth quickly. His eyes had barely enough time to widen before he found himself in another part of the woods and not in his tree, with a small eight year old girl at his side.

"Holy shit! Next time give me a little warning."

Hestia merely smiled at him, "The god of poetry isn't very eloquent this evening, I see?"

Apollo merely snorted and relaxed, sitting down on a rotting log. "It's obviously not my poetry that brought you here, what can I do for you Hestia?"

Sighing, the goddess sat down on the log beside him a placed a hand on his shoulder gently.

"It's more about what I can do for Artemis."

At this Apollo arched an eyebrow uncharacteristically and shot her an intrigued look, "Go on." he prompted.

It was then that she told him everything, Zeus' blackmail, Artemis' guilt and what had become of Herodotus. Needless to say, he was shocked by the end of her presentation. Not because his twin had stolen the young god, but mostly because Zeus had the gall to threaten his sister and mother. He growled, his fists clenched in anger.

Hestia shook her head, "Do not focus on Zeus, he will get what's coming to him- it's Artemis that needs you, whether she admits it or not."

It was then something occurred to him, "And what would she say if she knew you had told me?" he asked skeptically. Apollo was grateful for the goddess's help, but he wondered what had motivated her enough to ignore Artemis' wish for privacy.

Hestia sighed, "That no longer matters. If we don't act on this soon we may never see her happy or well again. It's imperative that this be dealt with- propriety be damned." She urged, a hard edge to her voice.

Apollo blinked in surprise for a beat before he nodded and got them back on topic. "So if you have been helping her, why hasn't she been able to deal with her guilt?"

Hestia sighed once again, shaking her head in exasperation. "You know how she can be. She sends me to check in on the boy every once in a while but is adamant that she never go near him. She needs to be tricked." she admitted the last part reluctantly, not liking the idea despite its necessity.

Apollo nodded before he narrowed his eyes in question, "How come she was able to tell you of her actions that Zeus had forced her to make? Wouldn't he have covered the loopholes so that she couldn't say anything about it."

At this, Hestia chuckled without humour, "He did, but I followed her when she stole Herodotus and knew what had happened without her telling me. I was suspicious about her nervous behavior earlier that day and had gone to investigate. I have no oath on the Styx." She grinned in mischief- sometimes her brother could really be narrow minded. Luckily, Hestia was much more crafty and intelligent than him.

Apollo chuckled at her antics. "So what's the plan?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starry Eyed by You Me At Six


	4. Turn Blue

Harry swiftly climbed the branches of the tall fir tree, his calloused hands meeting the bark unyieldingly as he grappled the branches with a practised precision and grace. A wide impish grin spread across his face as he spotted a glint of amber from below- his sister was close. He stopped moving to ensure she wouldn't hear him with her godly hearing. Artemis may be very talented in terms of her senses but Harry was better.

Ever since Harry had turned eleven and received a letter from a mysterious school of magic called Hogwarts, three people who radiated power showed up on his doorstep- the girl he had met in the garden, a twelve year old girl with auburn hair and a twenty-year old man with bright blonde hair paired with a blindingly white smile, telling his mortal 'relatives' that they were his cousins on his father's side and swept him away from Number 4 Privet Drive, never to cross their doorstep again.

The goddesses and god explained to Harry who he was, who his parents are and why he was taken. Artemis admitted her involvement amongst tears that shocked the other two immortals- a crying Artemis was an unlikely occurence and a rather unwelcome one. Harry forgave her when they informed him of Zeus' actions and he lived with them in the woods ever since.

The wizards never found him, the god's powers in concealment made the Fidelius charm seem like a joke.

Harry lived with Artemis and her hunters from a young age and was accepted into their family despite their common hate of man- Harry was the lone, innocent exception that had wormed his way into their hearts over time.

He trained with the hunters in combat and took a liking to the throwing knives he acquired when they toured Europe's forests and trails while Artemis visited some Norse deities she was friends with.

In between performing their duties, Hestia and Apollo visited to help raise the godling, training him with what powers had begun to appear from Harry. Until maturity, young godlings were not certain of all their domains, their essences changing so rapidly over time to keep up with their growing personailities and experiences until their domains fit them implicitly. Harry experienced days when he could fly on his own at will or speak in latin and gaelic with ease but these abilities never lasted long, his essence deciding that they no longer fit him before moving on to discover other possible abilities.

Over time, the only ability that still remained from his rapidly changing arsenal was his ability to embody, manipulate and create smoke. Harry could disappear without a trace or hide where no one could possibly find him, his manipulation of smoke allowing his body to morph into the form and hide with ease- making stealth a strength of his. So far, this domain was the only one Apollo, Auntie Hestia and Artemis were certain would remain. They coached him in his abilities to help him improve upon them and educated him about their past, Ancient Greece, the monsters and other gods.

At the moment he was practising his stealth abilities in a friendly game of hide and seek with Artemis- he had a bad habit of forgeting things like sound when Artemis was involved and kept working on his stealth. So far, he was certain he was winning.  
Harry grinned victoriously as he mentally declared his victory and was just about to call out to Artemis to call it quits when he felt a tug on his worn hunter's boots and tumblr from the fir.  
The culprit behind his fall was waiting for him below, prepared for his entrance.  
She caught him on her shoulders with ease and shifted him to her chest like she was holding a baby. "Caught you Herring! Give us a smile?" She teased, tickling his ribs. The seventeen year-old groaned and struggled until she relented and dumped him on the ground. He groaned and rolled over before he jumped to his feet and sighed, giving her a mocking glare, "Gee thanks Arty, a simple tap on the shoulder and a 'found you!' would have worked but you know, let's pick on the male!"

Artemis rolled her eyes and blew a stray piece of hair out of her face before she smirked, "Oh please, don't be a baby. Your genitalia has nothing to do with your loss." Harry raised an eyebrow at her and shook his head in disgust, sometimes his surogate sister could be so unintentionally crude.  
Artemis was about to tell him what gave him away to her but before she could open her mouth they heard a shout from camp. The two gods looked at each other in confusion before quickly making their way over.

When they reached camp they were met with the sight of Apollo hanging by his ankles in a cedar tree- his arms and legs bound and all he wore was his boxers (with little suns wearing sunglasses on them!) with a sour, grumpy look plastered across his face.

Harry rolled his eyes at his best friend and stood below him with his arms crossed. "Oh please, stop pouting. You know full well that the hunters wouldn't have ever been able to bind you without certain celestial objects. You just let them because you're bored."

The sun god grinned and incinerated his bindings, flashing next to his siblings with a self-satisfied smile. "Correction: it was an excellent opportunity to look down their shirts as they bound me." he whispered discreetly in Harry's ear before he pulled back with a cocky wink and turned around. Artemis was directly behind him benignly sharpening one of her daggers.

"So sorry, didn't quite catch that brother dearest. Care to  _speak louder so we can all hear you?_ " She practically spat the last part at her twin, her face twisted in a harsh glare. Apollo visibly flinched at her tone, knowing full well that she'd obviously caught onto his scheme. "Now Arty, really there's nothing we can't just talk about! Really, I didn't mean-" _  
_

"Didn't mean to take advantage of my hunters? Because that's exactly what you did! I can't believe that after-"

It was then that Harry interjected. He held a hand out towards the twins and hushed them, staring at something a ways away from camp. "There's someone watching us. I can feel it." The twins uncharacteristically fell silent and edged closer to the trees in the direction of where Harry had pointed with him leading.

The three crept silently through the woods until they came upon a clearing that they hadn't encountered before. Artemis was astonished about the clearing, "But.. we've been here for weeks and walked through this part of the forest many time. This clearing's never existed before! How could it-" While the goddess was lost in thought her twin had inspected some greek characters engraved on several trees nearby.

"Maybe you've never seen it before because it didn't want to be seen." Apollo muttered just loudly enough so that his siblings could hear him. Artemis shook her head, "That's ridiculous- there's no way that could be the case. The last time Persephone was on earth-"

Apollo interrupted as he turned to face her with an enlightened look in his eyes, "Was when she needed to send word to her mother about her decision to stay with Hades despite Zeus' wishes and needed to make sure only Demeter would recieve it. She created a personal eden of sorts that only she could visit to receive messages from her daughter. Persephone's meadow."

A look of understanding crossed the goddess's face as she realised why Harry had been led there. "Persephone wants send her son a message. Harry." She muttered to herself.

Harry stood facing away from them, crouching near a flower bed. "Harry?" Artemis called in question, crossing the meadow to stand at his side. He seemed lost in thought as her plucked a flower from the bed and stood with it in his hand. The flower was a purple rose with a silvery piece of paper attached to it in the form of an origami leaf. Carefully, Harry removed the paper from the flower and diligently unfolded it.

There was only four words written loopily on the paper: "Look to the seas."

The son of the Underworld looked up from the paper to look at his siblings. Before now his parents had never attempted to contact him, fearing that Zeus might somehow catch wind of his location and wanted to not risk it. The meadow itself was risky- Persephone had to use a fair bit of power to activate it and could only manage to open it once every thousand years. Harry knew that if his mother had chosen to use the mode of communication then the message must be important. What confused him was it's briefness, why go to all that trouble to send him a message if they were only going to give him four words?

He sighed and tucked the paper into the pocket of his camouflage cargo pants. "Looks like we need to pay Poseidon a visit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turn Blue by The Black Keys


	5. Heart Shaped Box

Harry sat by the campfire while poking it with a stick with one hand resting exasperatedly on his face. He eyed the twin gods with boredom and watched as they argued incessantly, completely disregarding his presence.

"Why would Poseidon help him? Hades and barnacle breath have been at odds for centuries!" Apollo yelled in frustration, trying to get his point across to Artemis that the idea of going to Poseidon was outlandish and possibly a death wish.

"Why not?! Zeus and Poseidon have always had it out for each other, more so than Poseidon and Hades! Maybe he thinks it's time to show dear old dad a little humility?" Artemis yelled, her arms crossed with a stern glare fixed on her face.

When the others hunters had caught wind of their imminent fight they kindly evacuated camp, wanting to 'search for more game'. Harry snorted internally; he knew how they ticked-the hunters always cleared out whenever they scented a fight between Artemis and Apollo, usually leaving Harry to pull them apart. He sighed to himself and blew a piece of hair out of his eyes, gazing at them tiredly. There was no point in getting involved at this point- they were too wrapped up in themselves to pay attention anyway. For now he would just watch and wait.

"Don't be ridiculous! Get it through your thick head, Moonshine!" Apollo snapped, his normally optimistic outlook souring in his anger. Harry tuned out at this point, knowing that they'd just set each other off with digs at each others pride. Immortals were much too prideful in his opinion. Harry turned his attention back to the note his mother had left him, reaching into his pocket and reading it over and over again in contemplation.  _'Why wouldn't my parents just go after Zeus if they already knew who was behind my kidnapping?'_ he thought in confusion. Hades had proven to have no hesitation in declaring war against his brother before now; what had changed? He sat, pondering his mother's words and remained oblivious to his surroundings until he felt a slight change in the wind.

"I'm not surprised they're fighting yet again." he heard a soft yet strong voice from his left. He turned quickly, slightly startled. A young woman with long brown hair, wearing a modest brown dress with a voice that was much too wise for her age, sat beside him, coaxing the fire with a stick of her own while looking deep into the embers. Harry felt a soft smile flit across his face as he realized who had joined him.

"Aunt Hestia. I'm surprised you're not in your usual form," he greeted her. She smiled at him mysteriously and turned her gaze to his face before returning her attention to the flames. "I felt as though this situation may require a more mature mindset. If you'd prefer I could change back?" she admitted. Harry had always held a special place in the goddess' heart- she saw him as her own child and had been one of the few immortals to help raise him.

Harry shook his head with a fond smile, "No, this form is fine. It suits you just as well as your usual." He glanced down at the paper in his hand before he spoke again. "So you heard." Harry wasn't naive enough to think that Hestia didn't pay close attention to his well-being; she had long since proven to be diligent in that area.

"Demeter may have let it slip that Persephone had opened her elusive meadow for the first time in a few millennia and the meadow wasn't intended for her. Your grandmother still feels when it's opened even when it's not intended for her-it was originally created for her." Harry shot her a startled look of panic.

"But what if Zeus-" Hestia raised a placating hand.

"Zeus has no sway over Demeter- she prefers to lay low, especially in times like these." Harry managed to calm down a little before he looked back up at her questioningly.

"Why is my mother asking me now to go to Poseidon for help? Hades wasn't reluctant in the slightest in the past when it came to declaring war on Zeus."

Hestia sighed and turned her full attention to Harry now, wanting to make sure he understand exactly what she was about to tell him. "Zeus has been preparing for a war like this for years-your birth was just a push for him to become more serious in his efforts. It's no secret that Zeus has a tendency to use less than admirable methods when turning people to his side-much like he did with Artemis."

Harry's brow creased with worry, his eyes reflecting his hate for his uncle, "You mean he's blackmailing them. He's got the gods by the short and curlies."

Hestia chuckled darkly. "And he's calling on life debts and using enchantments to keep them complacent. It's not just the gods who he commands, but monsters, lesser deities; even gods from different cultures. He's preparing for a war but making even more enemies."

Harry's eyes cleared when he understood what his aunt was trying to tell him. "Zeus had got the upper hand and there's no way for my parents to overcome him without losing everything."

Hestia shook her head with a sly smile, "Wrong. There is a way, but it'll take a lot of effort and appealing to celestial beings." Harry cocked his head to the side in confusion. Hestia sighed fondly and ruffled his wild hair. "Come on Harry, you're highly intelligent; what do you think you've got to do?"

She stood from her spot and looked to the twins with a peevish look on her face. "Some things never change, do they?"

"Hestia?" Harry asked, undeterred by her sudden change of the subject. "Why didn't Zeus simply kill me when he had be kidnapped? It would've saved him a lot of trouble."

Hestia sighed and ran a hand tiredly through her long brown hair. "My brother is arrogant and foolish. He blindly took the Fates' advice to send you to the magical world because you would suffer more and lead a horrible life-exactly what Zeus believes his enemy deserves. And should you have remained in the magical world you would have too, but what he didn't take into account was that the Fates weren't completely honest with him; they knew we would find you. He continually relies on them for updates on your life instead of looking himself and never takes into account that they could be lying to him. He has no idea where you are- he doesn't even know you left the wizarding community."

Harry still doubted the fates' loyalty to them, "How can you be sure the fates are on our side?"

Hestia chuckled darkly, "They are tired of having their plans meddled with-as Zeus tends to do. We have our reasons and they have theirs." Then Hestia strolled over to the twins who were still arguing and created a wall of fire between them to catch their attention. "Are you quite finished?" Neither god responded so she turned to Harry, "Go to Poseidon and ask about Percy Jackson. Find him and take him to Poseidon and you will have his support." And with that Hestia flashed from their campsite to who-knows-where. The gods all looked at her celestial form as she left, the warm browns and golds filling their view before she was gone, leaving in her wake the dying embers of the wall of fire she had previously created.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heart Shaped Box by Nirvana


End file.
